Dean's Return
by MK-Flower
Summary: Dean runs away from home in Dallas, except he's running back home, back to Toronto. And when he gets there, he gets himself into something he never expected.
1. Chapter 1 - Profiling

**Author's Note: This is my first story on here.** **Let me know what you think of the start I've made, and please review so I know how I'm doing. Also, any plot suggestions going forward would be great too. I have a few ideas though, so stick around for the rest of the story, as some very interesting things will happen to many of the characters.**

Chapter 1: Profiling Spike

Dean had done his research, and just knew that he could trust Spike. Not that Dean had ever met Spike - he didn't even know much about him. Still, he trusted him - which is one of one of several interesting character traits he had, such as the instinct to run towards danger, not away from it. But not this time. He told himself that he had to get out and look after himself. Having run away from home and not being sure what to say to his father, whom he'd been estranged from for years, he needed a surefire way that would allow him to hang out for a while and work out what to say as well as the confidence to see him again after all these years.

Over the last two or three weeks, Dean had become seriously worried about his situation at home. At the beginning of the year, Dean was considering adopting his stepfather's surname and forgetting about his birth father completely. He thought that it would be for the best, considering that his father was an alcoholic and ruined the best part of his childhood. But now, things were changing fast. The same thing was happening to his stepfather and he had of course seen the consequences before. His stepfather lost his job, started drinking, started drinking a little bit more and had now got to the point where he was threatening to hurt Dean and his mother every time he got home from the pub. He knew full well where this could lead.

Dean ran away because he was scared that he was letting his mother down by leaving her there with that man, and didn't want to face her. He promised himself that he would get his mother out of danger, and his stepfather help. But he thought about the rule about oxygen masks on airplanes. Look after yourself first, before assisting those around you. He used this to reconcile his guilt, realising that he needed to make sure he was safe first before he could help them. He also knew he was being a little selfish, because he wanted to get out and be safe himself. So now, Dean was headed to Toronto, armed with a plane ticket and information on Team One of the SRU, which his father was now the Sargeant on. Dean figured that he had turned his life around since they last met. In fact, he was counting on this.

Wanting to be a cop when he grew up meant that Dean had done a lot of research on what being a police officer meant. He knew what the job involved, and wanted to do it anyway. One of the things he learnt from his research on the SRU in particular is the way that they profile subjects - how they try and learn about what their motivations are in order to understand what they will respond to during a negotiation. He'd looked at as much about Spike as he could find on the SRU website, as well as emailing Wordy who was a SRU officer whom he'd known before he left Toronto. Spike was the bomb tech. He had to be incredibly calm during the most tense situations imaginable. He also seemed to be the friendliest and most easy going of the Team. Plus, he didn't have three girls like Wordy did, and he'd just gotten a place of his own.

Dean wanted somewhere to go after he got to Toronto - and he thought that tracking down Spike was a good option. He'd explain that he was Sargeant Parker's son, and get him to help him talk to his father, or something. Too much time had passed, too much had changed and Dean didn't feel comfortable going straight to his father. If Spike told him to get lost, then he'd have to find another way. But for now, this was good.


	2. Chapter 2 - Scarlatti to the Rescue

**Author's Note: Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter. Please leave some reviews, as I can't tell if people like it or not! Also putting it out there that I too haven't been to Toronto, or Canada for that matter, so some factual details may be a bit off. I don't own Flashpoint either. **

In the special police section of the Public Library, Dean quivered as even more bricks and mortar came raining down, blocking the only entrance out of the small basement reading room. The small bomb that had just gone off in the room's concrete ceiling had already shaken Dean, and the debris that followed only served to scare him further. Now, he was trapped in a small, windowless, underground room with no way out. But at least he had a few things going for him - Dean wasn't scared of small spaces and he had his phone with him.

"911, What is your emergency?" answered the emergency operator.

"Hi," Dean began slowly, "I'm in the basement of the Toronto Public Library and some sort of bomb has gone off above my head."

"Okay," replied the operator, "Which branch and which room are you in? Are you able to get out or not?"

Dean continued talking to the operator, and realised that the SRU would probably be involved. This was both a good and a bad thing - obviously it would be great if he was found by Spike. After all, he would be the one to analyse the bomb, and rescue him at the same time. But what if a different team responded to the call? And, Spike was on the same team as his father, which means they'd run into each other. He started thinking about why he came to the library in the first place. He guessed that he'd become unsure of his decision to run away to Toronto, and wanted to stop thinking about it for a while by reading books about what he really wanted to become - a police or SRU officer just like his father. The closer he got to carrying out his plan, the more stupid he felt it was.

Dean sat in the corner of the room, shielding his head from further debris caving in on him with the book he was reading, quietly waiting for help to arrive. After ten or fifteen minutes, he heard a voice.

"Are you OK in there?" it calls.

"I'm not hurt," Dean calls back, giving the officer the news he wanted to hear.

Dean sees the officer crawling through the rubble, who sticks his head up and looks around the small room where Dean had been when the bomb went off. He looks scans the room intently then speaks to Dean.

"I'm Constable Scarlatti from the SRU," Spike begins, "How are you doing?"

Dean had read enough to know that he was trying to make him feel calm before assessing the situation further and getting him out. The shock made it take a little longer, but Dean soon associated the name Scarlatti with Michelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti. This SRU officer was none other than Spike. Dean thought about making an introduction, despite the circumstances, and went for it.

"I'm fine, thanks. My name is Dean Parker. I've just arrived from Dallas."

Spike stops for a second and Dean can see his mind connecting the dots. He wonders if Spike knows about him or not, wanting to know either way before continuing.

"I'm Greg Parker's son," he adds, just to make it clear.

Spike just stares at him and says, "Let's get you out of here."

Dean sees Spike bring out his portable bomb scanner and comb the room looking for traces of any more explosives. Confident that that was it, Spike leads him out of the rubble, making sure that he didn't hurt himself in the process of getting out. As they walk into the main library and out into the daylight, he noticed only one black SUV and no sign of any other officers.

"Where's everyone else?" Dean asked Spike, curious and a little bit relieved.

"I was sent here on my own because we are juggling several hot calls on the go," was the reply from Spike, who paused for a couple of seconds, "Do you want me to take you to the station? I will make sure your Dad comes and sees you as soon as the shift ends."

Dean hesitates for a second, remembering his plan from before.

"I don't want to see my Dad yet," Dean says to Spike, tentatively.

Spike seems confused, although he sees something in his eyes that tells him he understands the situation. No doubt his father had told the team about going to visit Dean in Dallas and the horrible reception he received from both him and his mother; the distance they had maintained over the past 10 years.

"What are you going to do then?" Spike says, inviting Dean to sit in the passenger seat of the SUV.

"I don't have anywhere else to go," Dean says with a lump in his throat.

He hoped the bomb tech would take the hint. He still couldn't face his father, not without the necessary time to prepare for their first proper meeting in many, many years.


	3. Chapter 3 - Telling Spike

**Author's Note: Glad there are people out there enjoying the story. Sorry for the long time since the last update, so here's something to keep the narrative going. It's heading for a turn soon, so let me know where you think it should go and please leave a review on what you think of the story. I don't own Flashpoint.**

Spike drove into the parking lot at SRU headquarters and drummed his fingers on the dashboard for a few seconds before looking over at the boy sitting in the passenger seat, the boy who was the Sargent's son, Dean. Dean had already explained to Spike that he didn't want to see his Dad and that he didn't have anywhere to go. But he was here in Toronto, and although Spike wasn't quite sure what was going on, he felt sorry for the kid, even though he wasn't exactly sure what he wanted.

"Hey Dean, what's going on?" Spike asked Dean gently.

Dean looked at Spike with trepidation, he looked like he had words to say but not the confidence to spit them out.

"What do you mean?" he replies.

"I may be the guy that stays in the truck and finds all the information on the computer, and have only just met you, but I can still tell there's something serious going on with you," Spike said, having tried not to come across as overly harsh.

Dean looked at the large police building where he knew his father worked and tried to think of what to say. Did he really want to tell Spike, a complete stranger to him, about the reason he left Dallas? And was confronting his Dad at the point such a bad idea?

"Come on, let's go inside," Spike began, slowly opening the door to his side of the SUV, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Dean knew he had to make a choice, quickly, otherwise he would be forced to wait for his father inside.

"My stepfather is becoming drunk and aggressive to me and my mother," Dean blurted out.

This stopped Spike's move to exit the vehicle, causing him to sit back inside and catch his thoughts. He thought about how similar the situation Dean had just described was to Dean's biological father's alcoholism that had drove them apart in the first place. Spike wondered how best to respond.

"I can see why you ran away then," Spike said.

Because he knew the reason, Spike could start to understand why Dean had run away from home and wasn't making a beeline to see Sgt Parker.

"Yeah," said Dean sheepishly, unsure how Spike would react.

"Is that why you're scared to meet your father again after all these years?"

Dean nodded, still looking away from Spike.

"Well, I can tell you that he's told us a lot about you, and that he's always thinking about you and wondering how you've turned out. I can also vouch for him being a good person - my team is a great happy family and Greg's almost like a father to us. He's good to all of us," Spike added reassuringly.

Dean trusted Spike's character judgement of his father, but still wasn't sure about whether he was ready to meet him again. At this point, he was feeling rather guilty himself for not making contact for so long. The question of whether or not to continue on with his original plan or not was weighing heavily on his mind, and once again, he needed to make a decision quickly with time he didn't have.


	4. Chapter 4 - Getting the Message

**Author's Note: Another short chapter to establish the conflict... Hope you enjoy this one, and please keep reviewing! It does help motivate me to write more, and more often too. **

"Tell you what Dean, you can stay with me for until tomorrow - and during that time I'll tell you what you want to know about your father," Spike began, "But that's it. When it's time to go into work tomorrow, I'm bringing you with me so that you can meet with your father for the first time in years. Both of you really need that. How's that sound?"

Dean was lost in thought for a few seconds after Spike had finished. He was glad to have some extra time to prepare for meeting his father again, and appease his fears about what his father was like now by hearing Spike's stories of him. It was better than seeing him right now, but still locked him into a deadline for action. He remembered what his stepfather would be doing to his mother back in Dallas, and knew something had to be done soon, despite his fears.

"Good," Dean said.

"Great," replies Spike.

"By the way Spike, thanks. Especially since you don't even know me," Dean adds.

Spike laughs inconspicuously.

"Your father has told us so much about you over the years, at least about the time you lived here in Toronto," Spike adds warmly, "He's constantly cursing himself for screwing up so badly."

That made Dean feel a bit better, from what Spike has been telling him, his father certainly had changed his character for the better. It would make things easier the next day.

Spike put the SUV in reverse and backed out of the SRU parking lot, and headed toward his new apartment which was just several minutes away from work.

Spike turned his headset back on, and immediately heard the chaos of the hot call the rest of his team was handling.

"Spike, what is your status on the bomb call I sent you solo on?"

Spike cursed under his breath - in giving Dean his undivided attention, he had forgotten to update the Boss. Granted, he had his own hot call to deal with, but it was still important. Now at least, Sargeant Parker always wanted to know that his team was safe - he had a genuine care for all of them.

"Bomb defused, the single civilian involved evacuated safely - just running them through the post trauma drill to make sure they're okay," Spike replied through his headset.

"Right, you handle that and meet back at headquarters. And make sure Babycakes is ready to handle the next one."

"I will Boss," Spike chuckled.

Spike flicks his headset switch off again as he pulls into an on-street parking space outside his apartment, unaware that two pairs of eyes were watching both him and Dean from a car across the street.

Dean and Spike, having walked up 10 flights of stairs instead of taking the lift, arrived at Spike's apartment. Despite having known Dean for all of an hour or so, he felt confident leaving him alone in his apartment. He was here for answers and to meet his father, Spike rationalized - I'm sure everything will be fine. It would turn out that Dean would cause a lot of trouble for Spike, but not in the way he'd expect.

"Here we go," says Spike opening the door to his apartment.

"Cool..." says Dean.

"Help yourself to water and the TV, but don't touch anything else. Promise?"

Dean nods solemnly.

"Okay, I'll come back straight after shift, which is in about three hours. Then, we can talk about your father."

Spike closed and locked the door, and headed back to SRU to wait for the return of his teammates, or failing that, join them on the field should they have needed his expertise.

Just moments after Spike had left the building, there were loud thuds against the door to Spike's apartment, as if someone was repeatedly banging against it. Dean started to become a little scared - what the hell was going on outside. Was he in danger or was the intrusion nothing to worry about? He doubted it was the latter. Suddenly, the door caved in and Dean found himself with a gun to his head, and flanked by another man who had duct tape and zip ties in his hands. _I don't understand this. What the hell was going on!_


	5. Chapter 5 - Foreboding Events

**Author's Note: Sorry for another long gap between updates. Hopefully I'm back on track with the story now, been working on a few ideas on where to go with it. As always, I hope you enjoy it and leave a few reviews on what you think and any ideas for the future direction it should take.**

Team One had just returned to HQ, after an exhausting hot call that had dragged on for hours. It was just as well Spike returned to his shift - they certainly needed him in the truck, gathering invaluable intel on the subject's state of mind. Despite feeling like they were just going through the motions - the team rallying to stop the subject from hurting anyone and trying to keep the peace, something felt off with the Boss. Spike knew that his Sergeant could tell from a mile off if he himself was being troubled with something - whether the cause was just a bad day or something a lot deeper. Now, it was the other way around, and he was sure his team-mates felt it too.

All day, the Boss' attitude to the team had been strictly professional, and rather curt. Spike never saw him engage in meaningless or friendly banter, such as while they were working out in the gym. He hadn't use their nicknames - he had called Spike "Officer Scarlatti" for goodness' became Julianna. Ed or Eddie became Edward. Friendly and personable turned to coldness. Spike found himself despising this rapid change in his Boss' personality and wondered what had caused it. Surely, it couldn't be about Dean - he was sure that nobody knew about him at this stage. Maybe he'd tell the Boss later. And after all, the Boss' frustration hadn't been solely directed at him. The whole team had been feeling it.

Spike shrugged it off and walked into the locker room.

"What's up with the Boss?" he asked of no-one in particular, although Sam and Ed happened to be standing close by.

"He's never called me Edward before..." said Ed with a slight grimace. There was definitely some concern in his voice.

"Hell, I've had sergeants in the army with a lot more personality than the Boss today..." Sam said, trailing off.

Team One had a strong team dynamic. They worked well together and implicitly trusted each other with their lives. Their MO was moving in unspoken unison as they knew what their team-mates were thinking. But after a day like this, no-one was too sure what was really going on with him.

"There's definitely something wrong with him, that much I know..." Ed added.

"You don't think," began Spike.

Ed cut him off. "No, he hasn't been drinking or anything like that.

Then what the hell could be the problem?

Spike stood up and purposefully strode out of the locker room, heading towards the briefing room where he knew the Boss would still be writing up reports for the day.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Ed called after him, but didn't bother to stop Spike. He probably figured someone had to do what he was about to.

"Boss," Spike said quietly, leaning against the frame of the garage door like contraption that sealed the room off from the rest of HQ.

"What is it, Scarlatti?" asked Greg, coldly and perhaps with a hint of malice in his voice. Spike couldn't tell, and was sure as hell Dean wouldn't want to see his father like this. He didn't enjoy seeing his Boss like this either.

"What's going on?"

Greg sighed, started at the wall for a few moments and then looked back at Spike.

"You know how I've told you guys a few times about my son Dean, who lives in Dallas?"

Spike nodded. He also realised, slightly fearfully, that they were treading into some rather dangerous territory, partly due to reasons of his own creation.

"He ran away from home yesterday," Greg continued, "His mother thought he might've just gone to stay at a friend's or something and not told her. But none of his friends had seen him for two or three days, and when she looked at his debit card transactions she found he'd spent quite a bit of money on a charge tagged Air Canada."

Spike paused for a second. He knew full well where Dean was, and from here on in, he really had to tread carefully.

"What are you saying, Boss?"

"He's probably here, somewhere, and neither of us know where," sighed the Boss again, "Sorry for taking it out on the team today," he added.

"They'll understand," Spike said.

"I know," Greg began, "Can you do me a favour and see if you can track him dow? It would mean a lot to me."

"Sure Boss," Spike replied, hurrying out of the briefing room just as he felt his phone buzz in his trouser pocket.

Unzipping his pocket to take a look, he found himself looking at a damning photograph, an expression of fear slowly but surely writing itself into his face.


End file.
